Super Kabab – Abu Hail

I’ve been meaning to try this restaurant since someone told me a couple of months ago that its Kabab Masti was, not just better than Ostadi’s, but much, much better. That’s a big, bold claim that. The problem is that it’s so far away from where I live, work and hang. Super Kabab Iranian Restaurant (that’s its full name) is located on Khaleej Road, right beside Bin Eid Traditional Kitchen, dead opposite the new Waterfront Market in Abu Hail – that’s a long, long way from Arabian Ranches. But if the rumour was true, and their Kabab Masti was indeed better than Ostadi’s, then it would be worth the drive. So, that’s what I did today.

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Super Kabab’s interior was smaller and simpler than I expected but it was clean, tidy and didn’t stink of meat like some other kabab houses. Like Ostadi, the owner of this humble eatery is also from Gerash in the South of Iran. I liked that he has kept his menu short and sweet. There are the obvious Kababs, a couple of Khoresh (stews) and that’s about it. I ordered a mixed grill comprising of Masti, one chicken and one meat, a Koobideh and a Jūjeh. I would have liked to have tried their Bahraini Kabab but just couldn’t face FIVE skewers of kababs in one go. Old Xerxes’s gluttony seems to have finally found its limits.

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Persian-speaking and friendly they may be, but the Pakistani wait staff at Super Kabab aren’t big on ceremony – I had my melamine plated mixed grill, inverted bread basket still on top, plonked in front of me with the contempt of a jilted girlfriend. Yet surprisingly, I did not give this absolute lack of serving etiquette a second thought because under the folds of the Lavash flatbread before me could very well have been the best Kabab Masti in Dubai.

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It took all my blogger training to pause, steady shaking hands, take pictures before diving in and gorging with the ferocity (and noise) of Taz the Tasmanian devil.

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So how good was it? Their Masti Chicken was very good, the best of the kababs I had there.

The Masti Meat was also good, but I found some pieces unacceptably chewy. The Jūjeh was juicy because they, correctly, use dark meat but it tasted gamey and was the hardest for me to finish. Not one of the kababs till this point were a patch on Ostadi’s. In fact, only the Koobideh was better than the Boys in Meena Bazaar but that isn’t saying much because Ostadi’s Koobideh isn’t very good anyway. All that said, the kabab at Super Kabab was really good, maybe not as good as Ostadi but very good nonetheless and I have no reservations in wholeheartedly recommending it.

Hey! Now read this –
Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from, each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes or email me on xerxes@dellara.com.